Alice in the Country of Hearts Returns!
by Blood-stained Black Rose Alice
Summary: What if Alice had chosen Peter instead? What if Alice had stayed in the Country of Hearts? What if... they had a daughter?
1. Back Story

Alice in the Country of Hearts Returns!

(I do not own Clover/Joker/Heart no Kuni no Alice! I do, however, own the character Ameena! I'm letting you know right now that this is one of the first fanfics I ever made and I don't think it's that good ^.^; Honestly my later ones are better, but I hope you enjoy it anyway! Oh and keep in mind that this is Wonderland and time passes differently here than in the real world so were 15 years goes by for us, only a few has for Wonderland! )

Back-story: The day Ameena was born was a beautiful day, one of much joy. She was just adorable with her mother's light brown hair and big blue eyes. As she grew older, she spent time playing games with everyone. She would often play at the amusement park or play hide and seek with Ace, the knight of hearts, at the castle. She was such a charming girl, but she had been sickly since she was young and fell ill. She was forced to stay indoors and the only thing she looked forward to were visits from friends. Being closed up had made her lonely and made her start going mad... Her pure, shining soul began becoming tainted with grief and despair. Wishing for her happiness, her parents sent her away to the other world... The world from whence her mother, Alice had come...

Now 15 years later, she was attending an all girls high school and was the head of the disciplinary committee. She had grown to be more like her mother with her long brown hair and fiery spirit, but she also differed from her mother. She was much more athletic and tom-boyish. She wore her long-sleeved, short skirt, dark blue school uniform with pride. Her life was relatively normal, until the day came when she was to return to her world...


	2. Going Mad

**Going Mad**

All I could see was darkness as I fell. Then, a light appeared at the end of the tunnel and my entire world changed as I passed through that light and found myself in Wonderland... It was strange and I couldn't believe my eyes... I couldn't believe it... As this man stood before me, with his rabbit ears, and told me "Welcome back to Wonderland, Ameena!" He hugged me and smiled at me like he knew me. I sat there, confused.

"Who're you?...And how do you know my name?" I asked.

He stopped hugging me and hysterically said "How cruel, Ameena! How could you forget who I am?" He suddenly became serious again and said "No matter... You will remember in time..."

He had me follow him through a town and forest, listening to his rambling before arriving in front of a magnificent castle. As we walked in I could see maids and guards whispering to each other as I walked by. What was even stranger was that none of them had faces... _This is such a strange world... _He had led me to a guest room and had asked me to wait there. Of course, I had no intention of listening... I opened the window and jumped down two stories to land in a garden of hedges. I had to find out what this place was for myself and more importantly, how to get back home...

I traveled through the unfamiliar woods, realizing that I wasn't moving as fast as I normal would. It was as if I was walking in chains... My head hurt and I began to sway... Before I realized it, I was falling...

When I had come to, I was lying in a white room. _Am I back at that castle?_

"It appears she is conscious..." I heard a voice say and saw a man with long black hair, tied neatly back with a ribbon. He was wearing a business-like blue outfit and glasses.

I sat up, slowly and shook the fog from my head. "W-where am I?"

"At the Clock tower. I'm the watchmaker, Julius Monrey. You must be Ameena..."

_Geez, did everyone here know my name? _"Yes..."

"Peter told me of your arrival here... To bring you here and forget to give you the potion... That idiotic rabbit..." He said and shook his head as he walked over to a table. He turned back to me and handed me a vile full of a strange liquid.

"Drink it. It will make you feel better."

I reluctantly took the vile and drank the potion, praying it wasn't some kind of poison or something... My head began to clear and my limbs didn't feel as heavy. I got out of bed and began to overwhelm Julius with questions about Wonderland. He took his time to explain to me about Wonderland and the different territories: The Hatter's Mansion, The Castle of Hearts, The Amusement Park, and the Clock Tower. When he'd begun to explain the residents, I stopped him and said "Thank you, but I'd rather find out for myself..."

I thanked Julius before leaving, thinking about where I would visit first and wondering about the thing he called the game. _I must be dreaming... _I hadn't noticed the direction I had been walking and ended up at the Hatter's mansion. I turned in time to see an ax being hurled down on me and flinched in fear. I closed my eyes, thinking that soon I'd feel my own blood leaving my body, instead I heard a clinking sound.

I opened my eyes to see someone in a red coat blocking the ax with a sword.

"Awe... You ruined the fun!" The person wielding the ax said and for the first time I saw my attacker. He was a boy in a guard's uniform and there were two of them! They were exactly identical!

"What did you do that for?" he whined.

"I can't just let you go killing her..." My rescuer said to them. He was a tall, handsome young man with messy brown hair that somehow made him look even cuter. I blushed as I stared at my hero.

Suddenly, a gun shot fired out and we all turned behind me to see a tall man wearing military clothes with curly hair and rabbit ears.

"What do you think you're doing?" He asked the twins, frustrated.

"Stay outta this newbie-hare!" "Yea!" The twins shouted.

"Why you little-" He started and then turned to the one who saved me. "And what are you doing here?"

"I got lost!" He said with an innocent, happy smile, which totally killed the cool image of a hero I had for him.

"For the millionth time the castle is that way!" The rabbit-eared man yelled and pointed. It wasn't till a moment later that he realized that I was standing there.

"And who is this?"

"My name's Ameena. I'm not from here..." I told him.

He stared at me for a moment. "Ameena? Really?" He said and I swear I could see his eyes light up in recognition of my name. He quickly turned on the twins and started yelling, "And you almost killed her? Are you stupid? She's a guest! I should have your pay docked!"

"She's Ameena? Really?" They said, obviously ignoring the fact that they were being yelled at. They quickly dropped their weapons and ran past the man to hug me on either side. "Ameena!"

I stood there awkwardly as the man turned and yelled, "Hey I'm talking to you!"

A voice came from the gate and we all jumped except for the easy-going brown-haired man that stood next to me.

"Troubling the young lady, are we? Some things never change..."

"Blood!" The rabbit-eared man shouted in surprise.

I turned my head to look over my shoulder at the large iron gate.


	3. Blood

Blood

Behind me stood a black haired, well dressed man in a top hat decorated with beautiful blood red roses. I stared at him in awe of his magnificent appearance. He walked toward me and the twins backed away a little. He walked in between me and the rabbit-eared man and lifted the gun he had in his hands.

"Elliot, I thought I told you not to go starting fights..." He said harshly.

Elliot squeaked with fear and immediately put his gun away. "S-sorry Blood!"

"As long as you understand..." he said and then turned his attention to me. "I'm very sorry, young lady, for the trouble these idiots have caused you..."

I just stood there staring at him when Elliot said "Blood! That girl is Ameena! Can you believe it?"

Blood didn't look as surprised as Elliot had when he heard my name. He just smirked and took my hand. He kissed my hand as he said "Of course. She has grown into a fine young lady."

I could feel my cheeks become warmer at his words and only snapped out of it when I heard the brown-haired boy say "Ameena, do you remember me? Huh?"

I turned to him. "What? Huh? Sorry I just met you so there is no way I would know who you are..."

He suddenly looked so disappointed. "Awe... Come on, your kidding right? How can you not remember me?"

"Just shut up, Ace! She probably doesn't remember you because she doesn't want to!" Elliot yelled.

Elliot continued arguing and fighting with Ace when Blood said "It seems she doesn't remember this place..."

Ace and Elliot froze in their fight and said "Really? She forgot everything?"

"It would seem so... Ace you should take her back to the castle for now... She should rest and wandering around aimlessly can be dangerous here..."

"Alright, then! Follow me!" He says and walks in the wrong direction.

"You're already going the wrong way!" Elliot yells.

Blood sighs and turns to me, saying "I apologize... I would escort you myself, but I have other matters to attend to... Until next time..." He bows and walks back into the mansion.

I stood and watched him go. _What a gentleman...Its too bad that the others aren't like that..._ With that, I turn back to Elliot and Ace who were arguing over which way to go. I sigh. _So much for my hero... Why couldn't he be more like Blood?_


	4. Sweet Sunset Soiree

Sweet Sunset Soiree

We had managed to make it back to the castle, but only because Elliot was there to guide us. We said our good-byes at the entrance to the courtyard and as soon as I stepped out, Peter was there, suffocating me with his hug...

"Ameena! Why did you run off?" he asked with his puppy dog look.

He annoyed me, but the look was starting to get to me, so I lied by saying, "I was anxious to explore..."

He smiled and said, "Oh is that all?" He then turned his attention to Ace. "And what were you doing with my precious Ameena?" He took out a gun and pointed it at him.

Ace put his hands up in the air and said."Just out for a walk... You're not too careful, you know... She could've been killed..."

"Shut up, you filthy knight!" Peter said and fired at him.

Ace dodged the bullet by simply moving his head to the side and it grazed his shoulder.

I was in shock and scared out of my mind. Without thinking, I pushed away from Peter's embrace and ran in front of Ace. Both Ace and Peter were surprised by what I'd done. Peter froze with his finger on the trigger.

"Ameena, what are you doing?" Peter asked with a serious face.

I didn't answer. I was still in shock, leaning against Ace for support. Ace put down his hands and rested them on my shoulders, pulling me a little closer to him.

"Looks like she doesn't want you to kill me..." Ace yelled to Peter.

"Ameena, get away from him! His hands are covered with blood..."

"St-" I was about to yell for them to stop, when a powerful voice rang out.

"Stop this nonsense at once! Can't you see you are causing her nothing but trouble? This is why we think men are useless..."

I turned to see a beautiful woman with raven black hair in bouncy ringlets and a long flowing red dress, decorated in hearts. It didn't take me long to guess who she was.

"But your majesty, he-!" Peter began complaining.

"Silence, Peter! We do not wish to hear your complaining... We have come here for one reason, we wish to see Ameena..." She said and looked in my direction.

I was panicking inside. I had never been in the presence of a Queen before... _What do I do? What should I say? _

"I-It's nice to meet you, your majesty..." I stuttered and curtsied.

She smiled and said "Please, there is no need for that... We are Vivaldi and we wish you to have some tea with us..."

Vivaldi had guided us to a cozy corner of the garden that had a table and tea set already waiting for us. Vivaldi sat across from me and Peter stood close by, looking upset. Ace was standing directly behind me, leaning on my chair from time to time, which annoyed Peter.

"Vivaldi...?" I asked, nervously.

"Yes, what is it, dear?" she said nicely.

"Well, I've been wondering this for some time now... How is it that everyone here seems to know me?"

Vivaldi looked surprised and turned to Peter, looking a bit irritated. "You mean you haven't told her?"

Peter started acting nervously and said "W-well, I didn't get the chance too and I thought it might be better if she remembers herself..."

Vivaldi was angry. "You're worthless! If you don't tell her then I will!" She began arguing with Peter.

Ace leaned forward, his face by mine and said "Actually, Ameena is from Wonderland. You used to live at the castle and Peter is actually your father. We used to play together a lot... Ameena was so cute then, but your even prettier now..."

I was in shock, but my mind was blank because of what Ace had said and how close his face was to mine.

Peter's gunshot snapped me out of it. It went between Ace's face and mine, going straight through the chair. "Don't you dare get any closer to her! Why did you tell her that?"

"Ooh, scary~ I was just being an honest knight" Ace said, smiling.

"Just get away from her! I won't let _you_, of all people, touch her"

Ace moved back a little and smiled at Peter, who was watching him with suspicion. Suddenly, Ace quickly leaned back in and forcibly kissed me! I was in _way _too much shock to shove him away or say anything... Heck! I couldn't even think straight!

Peter was just as shocked as I was, his mouth wide open. Vivaldi did seem a little annoyed, but wasn't surprised by the situation and didn't say anything. Ace was the one to pull away and gave me an intimate smile before standing up straight again. My face was red and my hand automatically went to cover my mouth.

I kept thinking over and over: _I-I can't believe it... He... That... My first... k-k-kiss!_

Peter recovered and pointed his gun at Ace again, angrily saying, "W-why did you go and do that?"

Ace licked his lips and smiled. "I thought it would be fun... And it annoyed Peter!"

"Why you!" He yelled and started shooting at Ace non-stop. Ace took out his sword and began dodging and blocking the bullets. It was obvious that the fight was going nowhere.

Vivaldi quietly sipped tea. "Sh-shouldn't we stop them?" I asked, a little panicked.

She looked annoyed as she said "No need. Just let them be... Besides, those stupid men have no sense of delicacy! I mean, really! Kissing you like that! Are you alright, Ameena?"

"Y-yeah... I think so..." I said, my face was still faintly red.

Vivaldi looked at me oddly and then she asked, "Ameena... Could it be... that you've never been kissed before?"

Peter and Ace stopped in the middle of their fight to stare at me. I was feeling uncomfortable with everyone staring. "O-of course it was! Its normal for girls in my world!" I shouted, flustered.

Everyone was silent for a bit. Ace was smiling at me again and Vivaldi came over and hugged me to comfort me. Peter just stood there, staring at me until he noticed Ace's smile. "What're you smiling at? Don't you get all happy! I won't let you get away with this!"

And so the fighting continued...


	5. A Cat, a Song, and an Invitation

**A Cat, a Song, and an Invitation**

I declined Vivaldi's offer to stay at the Castle for the night. There was no way I'd get any rest with both Peter and Ace there. Besides, I needed time to think about the bomb shell of a truth they had just dropped onto me. I couldn't believe it... _Me? A member of Wonderland? And Peter's daughter even? Wait, doesn't that make me half rabbit or something?_

Thinking about it only gave me more of a headache and I found myself exhausted by the time I reached the clock tower. I expected Julius to be asleep, but to my surprise he was wide awake at his desk.

"Glad to see you made it back in one piece. But I thought you'd stay at the castle tonight."

"I just need time to think tonight..." I said, holding my head as I walked p to an empty bedroom for some rest. I woke up feeling less tired, but just as confused as before.

I sat at the table drinking a cup full of coffee just staring into space, trying to clear my thoughts. Julius could tell something was wrong from the start because I hated coffee. As if on cue, two little twinheads popped into the doorway. "Hey, Ameena~!"

"Hm?" I turned to them, still kinda out of it.

"We want you to come play with us today!"

When I didn't really answer, Julius responded for me. "Ameena might not feeling quite up to it today..."

"Aww..." The twins whined.

Suddenly a boy with pink hair and cat ears walked into the room. _Okay, now I think I've gone crazy... _He stared at me as if examining me. "Yup! I know just the thing!" he said as he grabbed my hand and dragged me away. "I'll return her later!" he called back to everyone.

"Aw, stupid cat! We called her first!" The twins complained.

The strange cat boy dragged me along silently until I finally asked, "Um, who are you? And where exactly are you taking me?"

He didn't stop as he said, "Aw, come on, you don't remember me?" I shook my head. "How could you forget Boris? We used to play on tons of rides at the Amusement Park! Well, at least until your Papa finally caught up with us and took you home..."

"I'm not sure if that would be considered fun or dangerous..." I commented.

"Is there really a difference? Oh, we're here! Welcome to the Amusement Park!" Boris announced. I stepped onto the wide stone walkways that ran through the park and looked around at the insane looking rides.

"So why did you bring me here?" I asked.

"To have fun, of course! You looked down and the only way to fix that is to have some fun!" I smiled a little. I couldn't remember, but I'm sure that if I could Boris would be a good friend of mine.

"Boris! Where have you been off too? Ah, is this Ameena?" A middle-aged man walked up to us. Boris looked anything but excited.

"Yeah, old man, this is Ameena."

"Are you sure? She looks a little too big to be the same little Ameena..." Gowland commented, staring at me.

"You're just getting old." Boris said, which earned him a glare from Gowland.

"Well, you're always welcome at my Amusement park, Ameena. Enjoy the rides!"

With that, Boris and I explored the entire park, going on tons of insane rides that would probably be considered unsafe back in my world. It was crazy and weird, but I had to admit I had fun and I totally forgot what it was I was worried about in the first place. When we finally finished, it was nearly sunset and we were making our way back to the entrance. It was there that I rediscovered how horrible a musician Gowland was and Boris revealed to me a terrible secret, Gowland's name.

"Boris, I told you not to tell anybody!" Gowland yelled, angrily.

"But it's a nice name!" I said, which seemed to calm him down.

"A wonderful name...if you're a girl." I looked down the path to see Blood and the rest of the Hatter mafia with him.

"Ameena~!" the twins cheered as they ran up on either side of me to give me a hug.

"What are you guys doing here?" I asked them.

"Hey Ameena! Well you see Blood had some business here and-" Elliot began, but Blood cut him off.

"It's best if you keep your mouth shut Elliot."

"Yeah, dumb hare!" the twins mocked.

"Shut up you little brat!" Elliot yelled.

"What did you say just now?" Gowland asked Blood, grinding his teeth.

"Merry is a lovely name... if you like being named after a girl." Blood said, enjoying every minute of this.

"Oh no..." Boris said.

"You...! You! That's it, Blood! How dare you say that to my face!" Gowland blurted, furious. His oddly shaped violin transformed into a machine gun. Making everyone run for cover. I stood there wide-eyed until Blood grabbed me and pulled me out of the way.

"What did you do that for?" I asked him, wondering if he had a death wish.

"It's fun to patronize him. Ah, and Ameena..."

"Yes?" I asked, rather flustered as Blood became too close for comfort. I would have moved if his arms hadn't blocked my escape. Whatever he was about to tell me, he wasn't about to take no for an answer.

"You've visited every other area, but you haven't paid one to our mansion yet..."

"Oh, r-really? H-haven't I?" I stuttered, raking my brain to find some way to get out of this.

"All the more reason you should come tonight. We'll have a little party in celebration."

"W-well, I can't say no to that now can I?" I was afraid of what would happen if I did.

Blood finally moved away and I let out a sigh of relief. "See you there."

I watched him go as the surrounding noise finally started to die down. _Okay, so number of times I've almost been killed: 4. Number of times a guy has been uncomfortably close: 2. Number of times I've been kissed: thankfully, still one. Great. Now I just had to figure out what I am going to do stuck at a party with him all night. Well, so much for getting rid of my __headache... _


	6. Mad Midnight Masquerade

**Mad Midnight Masquerade**

I sat in awkward silence at the long dining table that sat in the courtyard of the Hatter's mansion. Honestly, I didn't want to come at all, but part of me was afraid Blood might shoot me if I hadn't. I guess I totally forgot the fact that I'm Peter's daughter and most people wouldn't dare even try. At least Elliot and the twins were here to keep me company. Luckily they're a little too dense to notice the awkward atmosphere.

"Onee-chan! We're happy Ameena onee-chan came! Now we can finally play with you!"

"She didn't come here to play with you, dumb brats!" Elliot said between mouthfuls of carrot cake.

"Oh, butt out, dumb old hare!" Dum said and knocked his plate of carrot cake on the ground. Elliot dove for it, barely catching it in time.

"Not the carrot cake! I was eating that!" I giggled a little and the twins smiled proudly. Maybe they _had_ noticed how uncomfortable I was.

Blood sighed. "Will you idiots try and control yourselves?"

"Party pooper..." I mumbled under my breath.

"What was that?" Blood asked, looking angry, which made me wonder if he had heard me.

"Nothing..." I said and took a sip of my tea for an excuse not to say anymore.

Without the twins and Elliot's antics, things went back to being awkward. I was never one for fancy parties like these. Part of me wished I had stayed at the castle last night. At least I'd be doing something fun right now with Ace or sleeping, which sounds better than being here right now. I tried to ignore it and gazed up at the night sky. The stars were glowing beautifully and I felt a sense of nostalgia, a faint memory that I was so close to remembering...

Suddenly, there was a loud crash coming from inside the mansion. It jolted me out of my dazed state and made me stand up in surprise. We all left the table to investigate, except the twins who were less than happy to have been ordered to stay there. I walked into the well-decorated mansion hallway. I had split up from Blood and Elliot, happy to have some time away from them. Well, at least Blood anyway, Elliot is actually really nice to be around. I was starting to examine the books on the shelves in the hall, my mission forgotten, when I heard someone call out to me.

"Hey, Ameena!" I whipped my head around to see Ace sitting in the window. Speak of the Devil...

"Ace? What are you doing here?" I whispered, hoping Blood hadn't heard him. Blood would have no problem with 'taking care' of this uninvited guest and I couldn't stand to see that. I still hadn't figured out why my chest hurt when I saw Ace fighting, whether he was winning or not.

"I heard about this little party from the cat and thought you might need some rescuing by now." Ace said.

I was about to call him crazy and turn him down, but then I found myself actually thinking about it. I looked down the hallway to check if anyone was around to see me and then answered, "My hero," as Ace lifted me up to help me out of the window.

"Hey, Ameena did- Where are you going?" Elliot asked, having just walked up as Ace was helping me out. Whoops... Caught red handed.

"Uh..." My mind scraped for an excuse to tell Elliot, but nothing came. Luckily for me, Elliot came up with his own answer.

"Where are you taking her, knight?" Elliot asked, gun already out and aimed directly at Ace. I prayed that Ace would just leave and not egg him on, but of course, that's just what he did.

"Just kidnapping her for a while. Don't worry, I'll take good care of her." Ace said and hugged me closer. What the hell was he thinking? It took Elliot only seconds to process what he was saying and see how close he was holding me before he snapped. Luckily, Ace pulled out before the bullets started flying everywhere.

I let out a breath I hadn't known I was holding in and my grip on Ace's shoulders loosens. It was then that I realized that he was still holding me and was glad it was too dark for him to see my reddening face.

"Um... You can put me down now..." I said, feeling awkward.

"Hmm... I'll think about it." Ace said, teasingly. He was obviously messing with me.

"Ace!" I shouted.

"Alright, alright. I was only kidding." Ace said as he finally set me down on the ground.

The walk back to the castle was a hard one. It was dark and I walked ahead of Ace to avoid anymore awkward situations or getting lost. I was too tired for them right now. Tired? I hadn't felt that way back at the mansion... How long have we been walking anyway? I can see the castle, but I...

I found myself swaying and leaned against a tree for support, grabbing my head. Why did my head hurt now?

"Ameena? What's wrong?" Ace asked, concerned.

"I-I'm okay..." I said and pushed away from the tree to keep walking forward. Bad idea. I felt a huge rush come at me all at once and felt myself start falling, but didn't remember hearing me hit the ground.


	7. BloodRed Night

**Blood-Red Night**

"Ameena? What are you doing here? You shouldn't be out so late, it's dangerous..."

I didn't say anything. I heard voices and all I could see was red.

"It's okay... Don't cry... You're a good boy... Good boy..." Was that a kid's voice?

When I opened my eyes, I was lying on something soft and felt really warm. I sat up, slowly because of my spinning head and looked around the room. I was in a spare bedroom in the castle. The castle? Wasn't I just in the forest? Then it came back to me, the dizziness and passing out on the way to the castle. I rubbed my head and considered going back to bed, my eyes drooped. They shot open as I heard a soft moan and turned to my side to see a sleeping Ace. _Wait, sleeping? In my bed? With me?_

As if on cue, Ace opened his eyes. He still looked groggy and I assumed he was still half asleep as he grabbed my arm and pulled me back down, wrapping his arm around me.

"Ace!" I squeaked.

"Sshh... I just want to enjoy this until Peter comes in..." My cheeks were burning, but I didn't feel uncomfortable. Ace was really warm and it was tempting to just fall asleep again in his arms. I closed my eyes again and let myself enjoy it.

"Ameena..." Peter called softly as he cracked open the door. Then he saw Ace and all hell broke loose. Peter was ready to blow Ace's head off and he would have, had Ameena not been so close to him. "Get away from her, you filthy knight!"

Ace sat up, slowly to keep Ameena from waking, hands up. "Sshh... She's asleep..."

"I don't care if she's asleep just get away from her, you sick pervert! Taking advantage of her in her sleep, you should be ashamed!" Peter shouted.

I was feeling oddly cold. The warmth that was wrapped around me while I was sleeping had disappeared and my hand searched for it. I soon found it and laid down on it again. Unknown to me, I had actually just moved to lean against Ace's side. Peter was frozen with shock and looked like he wanted to murder someone. Ace smiled and put an arm around me again. He was obviously satisfied with the situation.

"You- Don't you dare get cocky! I'm gonna shoot your head off one of these days!"

"Be quiet on your way out." Ace said, taunting Peter with his victory. Peter had to grind his teeth and slammed the door behind him.

After a few more minutes, I finally forced myself into wakefulness. Apparently at a very awkward time because not only was I laying up against him, but I had woken up just when he was going to kiss me and instinct mad me shove him away. Smooth...real smooth...

Ace wasn't phased by it or if he was he was good at hiding it because he just stood up and held out his hand to help me up. I took the hand hesitantly and he led me to the audience hall where I would be able to find my way. Despite the odd morning, I felt at ease.

"Ameena, I'm sorry, but I have to go do a job for Julius today. I'll be back later tonight." Ace said as he left. My sense of ease left me when he told me he had a job, but I didn't know why. As he left, I had the urge to cling on to him and stop him from going.

I spent the next few hours wandering the castle, but I couldn't shake this feeling. Every corner of the castle stirred memories sleeping somewhere within me, refusing to wake. Peter found me somewhere around midday and wouldn't leave me alone. He kept asking me what was wrong and when I finally got him to drop it, he started bringing up weird moments of when I lived in the castle, which led to how much I was like my mother, which led to how beautiful my mother was. _Blah, blah, blah... _It wasn't like I wasn't interested, but it didn't seem important right now.

Before I knew it, the sun had gone down and I found myself waiting outside the castle anxiously. _Shouldn't he be back by now? What kind of job was it that took this long? What should I do?_

Yes, I realize I'm crazy. I wasn't thinking when I suddenly ran off into the forest after Ace. He was probably just lost somewhere. My anxiety grew as I got deeper into the woods and the sky turned even darker. _How long had I been searching? It must be quite a few hours now... Where could he be?_

I felt like I was on the verge of tears. I made my way into a clearing and I froze at what I saw. In the clearing was Ace, but encircling him was at least a dozen bodies. Ace was splattered with their blood and it drenched his sword, dripping off and soaking into the blood-stained grass around him. I dropped to my knees, while Ace stared at me with a mixture of surprise and confusion.

"Ameena... What-? You shouldn't hav-" expression changed as he watched me and I touched my hand to my cheek to find tears running down my face. He turned his face away from me, but I caught a glimpse of what looked like pain in his eyes. It was then that I realized what he must think, that because I saw him this way I was afraid of him or I hated him.

"You should go back to-" I stumbled and shook as I got to my feet, not hesitating as I ran up to him and wrap my arms around him in a tight embrace. I bury my face in his chest as the tears kept streaking down my face. Ace returned my embrace, but much more lightly as if I might shatter if he touched me...or he might stain me with his hands.

"Stupid.." I said, the sound being muffled by his chest.

"What?"

I raised my head to look up at him. "Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid! You're so stupid! You never told me anything! You run off to who knows where to do who knows what and leave me all alone, I was worried!" I yelled between sobs.

"But I thought... I didn't want you to see me like this... covered in blood..."

"You think I care about that? I don't care about that, I just want you to come back safe. I told you once before, didn't I? Ace isn't a bad person, he's a good boy." I said softly, wrapping my arms around his neck like I had when I was little and petting the hair at the back of his head. It took me until now to remember that dream.

Ace finally returned the pressure of my embrace and we stayed like that until we had both calmed down again. When we returned that night, both of us covered in blood and dirt, Peter threw a fit, but we just looked at each other and smiled. There were some things Peter could never know because he would never understand...


End file.
